Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, primary and secondary schools close for two months or more in the summer holidays.

What is the value of long school holidays?

What are the arguments in favour of shorter school holidays?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In many countries, primary and high schools have a two month holiday or more especially during summer. While some are in favour of this since it gives learners enough rest and a time to bond with family, others believe that the holidays should be shorter to allow teachers complete their syllabus in good time and reduce idle time that can put them at risk of engaging in bad behaviour.

On the one hand, long school holidays give learners enough time to rest. In most countries, the school calender has short breaks of about two weeks in the year. Having a longer break at the end of the year gives students a break from the monotony of going to school on daily basis. As a result, they get enough rest and are quite exited when the next school year begins. Furthermore, this allows families to bond and travel together. Parents can take their children for long trips without worrying about school activities. Consequently, the family unit is strengthened.

The critics of long holidays argue that there is hardly enough time to complete the syllabus. Shorter school holidays will give teachers adequate time to cover the planned work for the year without some being carried over to the next school year. In addition, they believe that during the long holidays, children are left alone for long periods and this can be detrimental to their behaviour. They tend to watch televisions and use their mobile phones all day and this can lead to watching adult content. This free time can be minimised by having shorter breaks over summer.

In coclusion, while long holidays gives students enough time to relax and bond with their relatives, shorter ones can also allow educators to cover their syllabi in good time and also reduces the screen-time for the learners. Both short and long holidays have their benefits and educationists should strike a balance between the two suggestions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both questions and presents a balanced position: it explains the value of longer breaks through rest and family time, then gives reasons for shorter holidays, including syllabus coverage and reduced unsupervised screen use. These points are relevant and supported with examples such as parents taking children on trips. The conclusion also restates the main arguments and recommends a balance. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others: the benefits of rest and family bonding are explained, while the claim that shorter holidays improve syllabus coverage is asserted without showing how the school calendar or teaching time would change. The discussion also generalises about children’s behaviour. More specific explanation or an example for each argument would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall progression: an introduction frames the debate, separate body paragraphs discuss the two positions, and the conclusion summarises them. Paragraphing is appropriate, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “Furthermore,” and “In addition” help readers follow the argument. The ideas within each paragraph are generally ordered logically, with consequences linked to supporting points. Cohesion is sometimes a little formulaic, however, because several sentences rely on explicit connectors such as “As a result” and “Consequently.” The reference to “this free time” is understandable but could be made more precise by naming the unsupervised time being discussed. Varying transitions and using clearer references would make the progression feel more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for discussing school calendars and their effects, with relevant expressions such as “monotony,” “detrimental to their behaviour,” “syllabus,” and “family unit.” These choices show some range beyond basic vocabulary, and the meaning remains clear throughout. There are, however, several spelling and word-choice or collocation slips, including “calender,” “exited,” and “coclusion,” as well as “watching televisions,” which is not the natural phrasing in this context. Some wording is also broad or repetitive, particularly repeated references to “long holidays” and “shorter” breaks. More precise expressions for curriculum time, supervision, and screen use, alongside careful proofreading, would improve accuracy and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses (“since it gives learners enough rest”) and cause-and-effect structures (“As a result, they get enough rest”). Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the argument remains easy to follow. Some grammatical errors persist, especially with agreement and verb forms: “long holidays gives” should be “long holidays give,” and “shorter ones … reduces” should be “shorter ones … reduce.” The opening phrase “allow teachers complete their syllabus” needs a grammatical pattern such as “allow teachers to complete.” There are also occasional article or number-pattern issues, as in “on daily basis.” Reviewing agreement and verb patterns, while retaining the current range of sentence structures, would improve control.

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